conflict of interest
SIM update – more consumer concerns
Yesterday’s SIM steering committee was not encouraging for those hoping to see real consumer involvement. The long-awaited workgroups will only have 25% (plus or minus) consumer and advocate representatives. In addition, they expect anyone appointed to be a supporter of the final SIM plan, and to agree to “champion” the recommendations of the workgroup, even…
Read MoreExchange active purchasing bill has a public hearing
The legislature’s Insurance and Real Estate Committee has raised SB-11, An Act Concerning the Duties of the CT Health Insurance Exchange, and will hold a public hearing on the bill next Tuesday. SB-11 requires the CT Health Insurance Exchange to active purchase health coverage for the estimated one in ten state residents who will purchase…
Read MoreSIM update – answers, sort of, and further delays in starting work
On Monday, advocates received answers to our questions about the SIM final plan – sort of. We did learn that they are not considering pure capitation as a payment model at this time and that any plans for Medicaid payment changes will go through the Medicaid Council – both good. Unfortunately answers to the other…
Read MoreNew exchange numbers – good news but lots of questions
CT’s health insurance exchange has enrolled 121,983 people into coverage, exceeding next month’s goal. In other good news, CT is beginning to catch up to other states in Medicaid enrollment – 71,318 (58%) of those enrollments were into Medicaid, 22,335 (31%) of those would have qualified for Medicaid without the ACA. The exchange estimates that…
Read MoreExchange enrollment growing, but how many were uninsured?
A CT Mirror report looking underneath AccessHealthCT’s enrollment numbers finds that we don’t know how many of the 94,000 people enrollees were previously uninsured. A national study finds that only 11% of exchange enrollees were uninsured; our exchange estimates that rate between 25% and 50%. Even the most generous estimate makes clear that we are…
Read MoreAdvocates meeting with SIM staff
Yesterday’s meeting with advocates called by SIM staff included some good news but more challenges focusing on process over content. Advocates were encouraged that the SIM planners are now interested in getting input from both “real” consumers, especially from under-served populations, and from professional, independent advocates who follow complex policy proposals on behalf of Connecticut…
Read MoreCT’s final SIM plan: Consumer advocates have questions
Connecticut’s executive branch policymakers have finished theState Innovation Model (SIM) plan to fundamentally transform our state’s fragmented health care system – both how care is delivered by doctors, hospitals and other providers, and how it is paid for. SIM is meant tocover at least three million state residents – Medicare, Medicaid, employer benefits and private…
Read MoreAges of CT insurance exchange consumers raising concerns
Board members of Access Health CT are now raising concerns about the age profile of the health insurance exchange’s consumers. Over one third (36%) of people buying insurance there are over age 55, but make up only 12.5% of CT’s total population and 7.7% of the uninsured. In contrast, young adults ages 18 to 34…
Read MoreCT health insurance exchange update – enrollees trend older, Anthem billing problems, and good stories of coverage
Customers trying to buy coverage on Access Health CT, our state’s health insurance exchange, from Anthem are having trouble paying their bill to comply with the Affordable Care Act’s January 1st coverage mandate. Anthem is the most popular choice with 25,000 enrollees so far. Many people have paid their bill but have not been set…
Read MoreCT’s insurance exchange price tag — $156.3 million
An analysis by the CT Health I-Team finds that setting up our state insurance exchange, AccessHealthCT, is costing $156.3 million – that is $460 for each uninsured state resident. The equivalent of 88 full time workers are involved in the massive undertaking. Most of that money is paying for consultants but salaries consume $14 million…
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